The Varsity Cinema

The Varsity Cinema Des Moines' nonprofit community art house cinema.
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08/28/2026

ERIN BROCKOVICH plays Thursday, Sept. 3 from the Varsity Vault! Presented by Drake University Law School.

Goodnight to the inimitable Tim Curry. ๐Ÿฅ€ THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW has been a Varsity staple for decades. Curryโ€™s le...
08/27/2026

Goodnight to the inimitable Tim Curry. ๐Ÿฅ€ THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW has been a Varsity staple for decades. Curryโ€™s legacy will always live on here and while we are deeply saddened by his passing, we will celebrate him more than ever this October with our annual immersive, late-night showings.ย 

Join us for the film that became so much bigger than the screen itโ€™s projected on. October 22 & 23, live shadow casts will accompany our 10pm screenings of ROCKY HORROR. โค๏ธ

Playing Tuesday, September 8 at 7pm: ๐™จ๐™š๐™ญ, ๐™ก๐™ž๐™š๐™จ, ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™™ ๐™ซ๐™ž๐™™๐™š๐™ค๐™ฉ๐™–๐™ฅ๐™š โ€” Steven Soderberghโ€™s debut feature film that won the Palm...
08/26/2026

Playing Tuesday, September 8 at 7pm: ๐™จ๐™š๐™ญ, ๐™ก๐™ž๐™š๐™จ, ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™™ ๐™ซ๐™ž๐™™๐™š๐™ค๐™ฉ๐™–๐™ฅ๐™š โ€” Steven Soderberghโ€™s debut feature film that won the Palme d'Or at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival and paved the way for independent filmmaking.

Andie MacDowell stars as Ann, a housewife who feels distant from her husband and becomes drawn to a soft-spoken outsider, Graham (James Spader), who has a secret obsession.

Playing for our Declarations of Independence series! ๐ŸŽŸ Tickets at: https://varsitydesmoines.com/movies/sex-lies-and-videotape/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=or

Join us for a FREE screening of the 1979 classic NORMA RAE on Labor Day weekend. Playing Sunday, September 6 at 7pm in p...
08/25/2026

Join us for a FREE screening of the 1979 classic NORMA RAE on Labor Day weekend. Playing Sunday, September 6 at 7pm in partnership with the Iowa Labor History Society. Reserve your seat via our website.

Norma Rae (Sally Field) is a southern textile worker employed in a factory with intolerable working conditions. This concern about the situation gives her the gumption to be the key associate to a visiting labor union organizer. Together, they undertake the difficult, and possibly dangerous, struggle to unionize her factory.

Have a seatโ€ฆ at the Varsity on September 25 for PRIMETIME. ๐Ÿ“บ The highly anticipated A24 film opens in one month!Robert P...
08/25/2026

Have a seatโ€ฆ at the Varsity on September 25 for PRIMETIME. ๐Ÿ“บ The highly anticipated A24 film opens in one month!

Robert Pattinson steps into Chris Hansenโ€™s shoes to reveal the behind-the-scenes of the infamous hit 2000s show To Catch a Predator.

08/24/2026

The Owens sisters are back, ready to break their family curse once and for all. PRACTICAL MAGIC 2 opens September 10 โ€” tickets on sale now!

08/21/2026

Now playing: TEENAGE S*X AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA ๐Ÿ’˜ A valentine to slasher horror that celebrates self-discovery as much as it does the art of cinema, TSADACM combines killer style with a big, still-beating heart.

08/20/2026

Now playing: TONY, Matt Johnson's biographical film about Anthony Bourdain and his early years cooking in Provincetown.

Starring Antonio Banderas, Dominic Sessa, Emilia Jones, Leo Woodall, and Stavros Halkias.

Mark your calendars for Thursday, September 3! Steven Soderberghโ€™s legal drama ERIN BROCKOVICH is coming to the Varsity,...
08/19/2026

Mark your calendars for Thursday, September 3! Steven Soderberghโ€™s legal drama ERIN BROCKOVICH is coming to the Varsity, presented in partnership with Drake University Law School.

Julia Roberts stars as Brockovich, a twice-divorced mother of three who sees an injustice, takes on the bad guy and wins. She goes to work for an attorney and comes across medical records describing illnesses clustered in one nearby town. When Erin starts investigating, she soon exposes a monumental cover-up.

Tickets at: https://varsitydesmoines.com/movies/erin-brockovich-w-drake-university-law-school/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=or

08/18/2026

Tonight at 7pm: With a new intro from Boots Riley, SORRY TO BOTHER YOU is back on the big screen. In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, black telemarketer Cassius Green (LaKeith Stanfield) discovers a magical key to professional success โ€“ which propels him into a macabre universe.

With a supporting cast of Terry Crews, Tessa Thompson, Armie Hammer, Steven Yeun and more, SORRY TO BOTHER YOU is electric, bizarre, and a whipsmart satire. Playing for only one night in celebration of Art House Theater Day!

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1207 25th Street
Des Moines, IA
50311

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